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The collection of meteorological and oceanographic (met-ocean) data is essential to advance knowledge of the state of the oceans, leading to better-informed decisions. Despite the technological advances and the increase in data collection in recent years, met-ocean data collection is still not trivial as it requires a high effort and cost. In this context, data resulting from commercial activities increasingly complement existing scientific data collections in the vast ocean. Commercial fishing vessels (herein fishing vessels) are an example of observing platforms for met-ocean data collection, providing valuable additional temporal and spatial coverage, particularly in regions often not covered by scientific platforms. These data could contribute to the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) with Essential Ocean Variables (EOV) provided that the accessibility and manageability of the created datasets are guaranteed by adhering to the FAIR principles, and reproducible uncertainty is included in the datasets. Like other industrial activities, fisheries sometimes are reluctant to share their data, thus anonymization techniques, as well as data license and access restrictions could help foster collaboration between them and the oceanographic community. The main aim of this article is to guide, from a practical point of view, how to create highly FAIR datasets from fishing vessel met-ocean observations towards establishing fishing vessels as new met-ocean observing platforms. First, the FAIR principles are presented and comprehensively described, providing context for their later implementation. Then, the lifecycle of three datasets is showcased as case studies to illustrate the steps to be followed. It starts from data acquisition and follows with the quality control, processing and validation of the data, which shows good general performance and therefore further reassures the potential of fishing vessels as met-ocean data collection platforms. The next steps contribute to making the datasets as FAIR as possible, by richly documenting them with standardized and convention-based vocabularies, metadata and format. Subsequently, the datasets are submitted to widely used repositories while a persistent identifier is also assigned. Finally, take-home messages and lessons learned are provided in case they are useful for new dataset creators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU funded project EuroSea brought together key actors of the European ocean observing and forecasting communities with key users of the ocean observing products and services in order to better integrate existing ocean observation systems and tools, and to improve the delivery of ocean information to users. EuroSea was constructed around the ocean observing value chain that connects observations to users of ocean information, and, just as intended, the value chain concept was a useful prism to improve the system. In this article, we summarize some of the main take-home messages from EuroSea on the needs for developing the European Ocean Observing System and its links with modeling and forecasting systems. During the project, the challenges and gaps in the design and coordination of the European ocean observing and forecasting system were identified and mapped. Many gaps and challenges related to the observations of physical, chemical and biological Essential Ocean Variables were identified. Some of these gaps are related to technological developments, while others are caused by insufficient and shortterm funding leading to a not sustainable system, management, and cooperation between different entities, as well as limitations in foresight activities, policies and decisions. This article represents a compilation of the broader needs for advancing the observing and forecasting system, and is meant as a guide for the community, and to funders and investors to advance ocean observing and the delivery of ocean information in Europe. To enhance the sustainability of ocean observations, which is paramount for a reliable provision of quality oceanographic data and services, several recommendations were compiled for ocean observing networks, frameworks, initiatives, as well as the ocean observing funders within the European nations, and the European Commission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "WESTERN BOUNDARY CURRENT-SUBTROPICAL CONTINENTAL SHELF INTERACTIONS" discusses the interactions between western boundary currents and subtropical continental shelves, focusing on the transport of heat, nutrients, and biota. The workshop held in Savannah, Georgia in May 2023 brought together researchers to discuss observational strategies, modeling systems, cross-shelf exchange, ecosystem properties, and future climate-related impacts. The article emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, improved observational strategies, and accurate modeling to understand and predict the consequences of environmental change in WBC-STCS systems. [Extracted from the article]

A workshop at MIT discussed the importance of data assimilation and Earth system reanalysis in improving climate models. The workshop emphasized the need to bring models and observations into consistency to reduce uncertainties in climate projections. Recommendations were made for actions and funding in areas such as exploiting Earth observations, developing infrastructure for data assimilation and machine learning, and performing Earth system reanalysis. The document highlights the significance of using observations to improve models and calls for collaboration between different scientific communities to achieve these goals. The recommendations aim to enhance the quality and usability of climate information. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the importance of a community of practice for air-sea flux observations. The authors argue that community-recommended practices are crucial for global ocean observing efforts and the establishment of standards and best practices. They highlight the challenges and uncertainties associated with air-sea interaction observations and stress the need for well-documented and widely accessible recommendations. The article also mentions the efforts of the Observing Air-Sea Interactions Strategy (OASIS) in identifying and promoting community-recommended practices. The authors emphasize the need for collaboration and interdisciplinary efforts in developing and sustaining interoperable global observing networks. The text further discusses the importance of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) data in the context of air-sea flux observations, and the role of satellite remote sensing in providing global coverage and complementary data. The article concludes by introducing the OASIS mission, which aims to develop an integrated approach to observing air-sea exchanges and connect professionals within the Blue Economy. [Extracted from the article]

The EU funded project EuroSea brought together key actors of the European ocean observing and forecasting communities with key users of the ocean observing products and services in order to better integrate existing ocean observation systems and tools, and to improve the delivery of ocean information to users. EuroSea was constructed around the ocean observing value chain that connects observations to users of ocean information, and, just as intended, the value chain concept was a useful prism to improve the system. In this article, we summarize some of the main take-home messages from EuroSea on the needs for developing the European Ocean Observing System and its links with modeling and forecasting systems. During the project, the challenges and gaps in the design and coordination of the European ocean observing and forecasting system were identified and mapped. Many gaps and challenges related to the observations of physical, chemical and biological Essential Ocean Variables were identified. Some of these gaps are related to technological developments, while others are caused by insufficient and short-term funding leading to a not sustainable system, management, and cooperation between different entities, as well as limitations in foresight activities, policies and decisions. This article represents a compilation of the broader needs for advancing the observing and forecasting system, and is meant as a guide for the community, and to funders and investors to advance ocean observing and the delivery of ocean information in Europe. To enhance the sustainability of ocean observations, which is paramount for a reliable provision of quality oceanographic data and services, several recommendations were compiled for ocean observing networks, frameworks, initiatives, as well as the ocean observing funders within the European nations, and the European Commission.

The ocean circulation is typically constrained in operational analysis and forecasting systems through the assimilation of sea level anomaly (SLA) retrievals from satellite altimetry. This approach has limited benefits in the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas due to data gaps caused by sea ice coverage. Moreover, assimilation of SLA in seasonally ice-free regions may be negatively affected by the quality of the Mean Sea Surface (MSS) used to derive the SLA. Here, we use the Regional Ice Ocean Prediction System (RIOPS) to investigate the impact of assimilating Absolute Dynamic Topography (ADT) fields on the circulation in the Arctic Ocean. This approach avoids the use of a MSS and additionally provides information on sea level in ice covered regions using measurements across leads (openings) in the sea ice. RIOPS uses a coupled ice-ocean model on a 3-4 km grid-resolution pan-Arctic domain together with a multi-variate reduced-order Kalman Filter. The system assimilates satellite altimetry and sea surface temperature together with in situ profile observations. The background error is modified to match the spectral characteristics of the ADT fields, which contain less energy at small scales than traditional SLA due to filtering applied to reduce noise originating in the geoid product used. A series of four-year reanalyses demonstrate significant reductions in innovation statistics with important impacts across the Arctic Ocean. Results suggest that the assimilation of ADT can improve circulation and sea ice drift in the Arctic Ocean, and intensify volume transports through key Arctic gateways and resulting exchanges with the Atlantic Ocean. A reanalysis with a modified Mean Dynamic Topography (MDT) is able to reproduce many of the benefits of the ADT but does not capture the enhanced transports. Assimilation of SLA observations from leads in the sea ice appears to degrade several circulation features; however, these results may be sensitive to errors in MDT. This study highlights the large uncertainties that exist in present operational ocean forecasting systems for the Arctic Ocean due to the relative paucity and reduced quality of observations compared to icefree areas of the Global Ocean. Moreover, this underscores the need for dedicated and focused efforts to address this critical gap in the Global Ocean Observing System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We contend that ocean turbulent fluxes should be included in the list of Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) created by the Global Ocean Observing System. This list aims to identify variables that are essential to observe to inform policy and maintain a healthy and resilient ocean. Diapycnal turbulent fluxes quantify the rates of exchange of tracers (such as temperature, salinity, density or nutrients, all of which are already EOVs) across a density layer. Measuring them is necessary to close the tracer concentration budgets of these quantities. Measuring turbulent fluxes of buoyancy (Jb), heat (Jq), salinity (JS) or any other tracer requires either synchronous microscale (a few centimeters) measurements of both the vector velocity and the scalar (e.g., temperature) to produce time series of the highly correlated perturbations of the two variables, or microscale measurements of turbulent dissipation rates of kinetic energy (e) and of thermal/salinity/tracer variance (c), from which fluxes can be derived. Unlike isopycnal turbulent fluxes, which are dominated by the mesoscale (tens of kilometers), microscale diapycnal fluxes cannot be derived as the product of existing EOVs, but rather require observations at the appropriate scales. The instrumentation, standardization of measurement practices, and data coordination of turbulence observations have advanced greatly in the past decade and are becoming increasingly robust. With more routine measurements, we can begin to unravel the relationships between physical mixing processes and ecosystem health. In addition to laying out the scientific relevance of the turbulent diapycnal fluxes, this review also compiles the current developments steering the community toward such routine measurements, strengthening the case for registering the turbulent diapycnal fluxes as an pilot Essential Ocean Variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented pilot for the Synthesis Product for Ocean Time Series (SPOTS) includes data from 12 fixed ship-based time-series programs. The related stations represent unique open-ocean and coastal marine environments within the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Nordic Seas, and Caribbean Sea. The focus of the pilot has been placed on biogeochemical essential ocean variables: dissolved oxygen, dissolved inorganic nutrients, inorganic carbon (pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, and partial pressure of CO 2), particulate matter, and dissolved organic carbon. The time series used include a variety of temporal resolutions (monthly, seasonal, or irregular), time ranges (10–36 years), and bottom depths (80–6000 m), with the oldest samples dating back to 1983 and the most recent one corresponding to 2021. Besides having been harmonized into the same format (semantics, ancillary data, units), the data were subjected to a qualitative assessment in which the applied methods were evaluated and categorized. The most recently applied methods of the time-series programs usually follow the recommendations outlined by the Bermuda Time Series Workshop report (Lorenzoni and Benway, 2013), which is used as the main reference for "method recommendations by prevalent initiatives in the field". However, measurements of dissolved oxygen and pH, in particular, still show room for improvement. Additional data quality descriptors include precision and accuracy estimates, indicators for data variability, and offsets compared to a reference and widely recognized data product for the global ocean: the GLobal Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP). Generally, these descriptors indicate a high level of continuity in measurement quality within time-series programs and a good consistency with the GLODAP data product, even though robust comparisons to the latter are limited. The data are available as (i) a merged comma-separated file that is compliant with the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) exchange format and (ii) a format dependent on user queries via the Environmental Research Division's Data Access Program (ERDDAP) server of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). The pilot increases the data utility, findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability following the FAIR philosophy, enhancing the readiness of biogeochemical time series. It facilitates a variety of applications that benefit from the collective value of biogeochemical time-series observations and forms the basis for a sustained time-series living data product, SPOTS, complementing relevant products for the global interior ocean carbon data (GLobal Ocean Data Analysis Project), global surface ocean carbon data (Surface Ocean CO 2 Atlas; SOCAT), and global interior and surface methane and nitrous oxide data (MarinE MethanE and NiTrous Oxide product). Aside from the actual data compilation, the pilot project produced suggestions for reporting metadata, implementing quality control measures, and making estimations about uncertainty. These recommendations aim to encourage the community to adopt more consistent and uniform practices for analysis and reporting and to update these practices regularly. The detailed recommendations, links to the original time-series programs, the original data, their documentation, and related efforts are available on the SPOTS website. This site also provides access to the data product (DOI: 10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.896862.2, Lange et al., 2024) and ancillary data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development Conference that took place in Barcelona, Spain in April 2024. The conference aimed to assess the progress of the Ocean Decade and establish priorities for the remaining years. PICES members played various roles and participated in different sessions and satellite events, focusing on challenges such as protecting ecosystems, understanding marine pollution, and promoting sustainable practices. The conference resulted in the Barcelona Statement, which identified future priorities for ocean knowledge and science generation. The article emphasizes the importance of engaging in the Ocean Decade and increasing investment in ocean science to achieve the desired outcomes. [Extracted from the article]

The document is a compilation of scientific articles and reports related to oceanography and climate research. The articles cover a wide range of topics including phytoplankton bloom phenology, ocean currents, carbon cycle simulations, sea-ice dynamics, and subsurface chlorophyll concentrations. These articles provide valuable information for researchers studying these specific topics and highlight the importance of ongoing research and monitoring efforts in understanding and predicting changes in the marine environment. [Extracted from the article]

The International Ocean Institute (IOI) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022 with various online and hybrid events and programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They launched the IOI online Ocean Academy on Ocean Governance, offering courses in multiple languages, and continued their mission of training future ocean leaders and promoting ocean protection and sustainability. The IOI also organized events worldwide, awarded a research bursary, and participated in side events focused on sustainable ocean economy and managing non-indigenous species. They emphasized the importance of early career ocean professionals in achieving sustainable development goals. [Extracted from the article]

The United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea recently held a meeting to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by new maritime technologies. The meeting focused on topics such as capacity-building, international cooperation, sustainable development, and addressing threats to the ocean. Panel presentations covered a wide range of subjects, including the legal framework for international cooperation, technology transfer, renewable energy, and the role of the private sector. The discussions emphasized the need for collaboration, funding, and governance to effectively utilize new maritime technologies. The text also mentions future topics of discussion, such as blue food, ocean observing infrastructure, and climate interventions. [Extracted from the article]

We contend that ocean turbulent fluxes should be included in the list of Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) created by the Global Ocean Observing System. This list aims to identify variables that are essential to observe to inform policy and maintain a healthy and resilient ocean. Diapycnal turbulent fluxes quantify the rates of exchange of tracers (such as temperature, salinity, density or nutrients, all of which are already EOVs) across a density layer. Measuring them is necessary to close the tracer concentration budgets of these quantities. Measuring turbulent fluxes of buoyancy (Jb), heat (Jq), salinity (JS) or any other tracer requires either synchronous microscale (a few centimeters) measurements of both the vector velocity and the scalar (e.g., temperature) to produce time series of the highly correlated perturbations of the two variables, or microscale measurements of turbulent dissipation rates of kinetic energy (ϵ) and of thermal/salinity/tracer variance (χ), from which fluxes can be derived. Unlike isopycnal turbulent fluxes, which are dominated by the mesoscale (tens of kilometers), microscale diapycnal fluxes cannot be derived as the product of existing EOVs, but rather require observations at the appropriate scales. The instrumentation, standardization of measurement practices, and data coordination of turbulence observations have advanced greatly in the past decade and are becoming increasingly robust. With more routine measurements, we can begin to unravel the relationships between physical mixing processes and ecosystem health. In addition to laying out the scientific relevance of the turbulent diapycnal fluxes, this review also compiles the current developments steering the community toward such routine measurements, strengthening the case for registering the turbulent diapycnal fluxes as an pilot Essential Ocean Variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential to publish and make available environmental data gathered by emerging robotic platforms to contribute to the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), supported by the United Nations - Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030). The transparency of these unique observational datasets needs to be supported by the corresponding robotic records. The data describing the observational platform behaviour and its performance are necessary to validate the environmental data and repeat consistently the in-situ robotic deployment. The Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), proposed in this manuscript, describes how, using the established approach in Earth Sciences, the data characterising marine robotic missions can be formatted and shared following the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles. The manuscript is a step-by-step guide to render marine robotic telemetry FAIR and publishable. State-of-the-art protocols for metadata and data formatting are proposed, applied and integrated automatically using Jupyter Notebooks to maximise visibility and ease of use. The method outlined here aims to be a first fundamental step towards FAIR interdisciplinary observational science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invertebrate animals living at the seafloor make up a prominent component of life globally, spanning 10 orders of magnitude in body size over 71% of Earth's surface. However, integrating information across sizes and sampling methodologies has limited our understanding of the influence of natural variation, climate change and human activity. Here, we outline maturing practices that can underpin both the feasibility and impact of establishing Benthic Invertebrate Abundance and Distribution as a Global Ocean Observing System—Essential Ocean Variable, including: (1) quantifying individual body size, (2) identifying the well‐quantified portions of sampled body‐size spectra, (3) taking advantage of (semi‐)automated information processing, (4) application of metadata standards such as Darwin Core, and (5) making data available through internationally recognized access points. These practices enable broader‐scale analysis supporting research and sustainable development, such as assessments of indicator taxa, biodiversity, biomass, and the modeling of carbon stocks and flows that are contiguous over time and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) Ocean Climate Stations (OCS) project provides in situ measurements for quantifying air-sea interactions that couple the ocean and atmosphere. The project maintains two OceanSITES surface moorings in the North Pacific, one at the Kuroshio Extension Observatory in the Northwest Pacific subtropical recirculation gyre and the other at Station Papa in the Northeast Pacific subpolar gyre. OCS mooring time series are used as in situ references for assessing satellite and numerical weather prediction models. A spinoff of the PMEL Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) project, OCS moorings have acted as "research aggregating devices." Working with and attracting wide-ranging partners, OCS scientists have collected processoriented observations of variability on diurnal, synoptic, seasonal, and interannual timescales, and trends associated with anthropogenic climate change. Since 2016, they have worked to expand, test, and verify the observing capabilities of uncrewed surface vehicles and to develop observing strategies for integrating these unique, wind-powered observing platforms within the tropical Pacific and global ocean observing system. PMEL OCS has been at the center of the UN Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) effort to develop an Observing Air-Sea Interactions Strategy (OASIS) that links an expanded network of in situ air-sea interaction observations to optimized satellite observations, improved ocean and atmospheric coupling in Earth system models, and ultimately improved ocean information across an array of essential climate variables for decision-makers. This retrospective highlights not only achievements of the PMEL OCS project but also some of its challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme ocean events and severe weather systems have large environmental impacts but are under-observed due to their harsh conditions and associated challenges with deployments of in situ observing platforms. Through a public-private partnership, the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) has developed the saildrone uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) into a viable air-sea interaction observing platform that can be utilized by the broader ocean research community. PMEL and the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory have demonstrated the potential of USVs for observing the Arctic marginal ice zone during the seasonal Arctic ice retreat and for observing the extreme ocean and weather conditions inside major hurricanes. These USVs will be an essential part of the Global Ocean Observing System, providing real-time data to improve prediction of rapid climate change and extreme ocean and weather events and to reduce their harmful impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented pilot for the "Synthesis Product for Ocean Time-Series" (SPOTS) includes data from 12 fixed ship-based time-series programs. The related stations represent unique marine environments within the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Nordic Seas, and Caribbean Sea. The focus of the pilot has been placed on biogeochemical essential ocean variables: dissolved oxygen, dissolved inorganic nutrients, inorganic carbon (pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, and partial pressure of CO2), particulate matter, and dissolved organic carbon. The time-series used include a variety of temporal resolutions (monthly, seasonal, or irregular), time ranges (10 - 36 years), and bottom depths (80 - 6000 m), with the oldest samples dating back to 1983 and the most recent one corresponding to 2021. Besides having been harmonized into the same format (semantics, ancillary data, units), the data were subjected to a qualitative assessment in which the applied methods were evaluated and categorized. The most recently applied methods of the time-series programs usually follow the recommendations outlined by the Bermuda Time-Series Workshop report (Lorenzoni and Benway, 2013) which is used as the main reference for "biogeochemical best-practices". However, measurements of dissolved oxygen and pH in particular, still show room for improvement. Additional data-quality descriptors include precision and accuracy estimates, indicators for data variability, and offsets compared to a reference and widely recognized data product for the global ocean: the "GLobal Ocean Data Analysis Project". Generally, these descriptors indicate a high level of continuity in measurement quality within time-series programs and a good consistency with the GLobal Interior Ocean Carbon Data, even though robust comparisons to the latter are limited. The data are available as (i) a merged comma-separated file that is compliant with the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) exchange format and ii) a format dependent on user queries via the ERDDAP server of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). The pilot increases the data utility, findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability following the FAIR philosophy, enhancing the readiness of biogeochemical time-series. It facilitates a variety of applications that benefit from the collective value of biogeochemical time-series observations and forms the basis for a sustained time-series living data product, SPOTS, complementing relevant products for the global interior ocean carbon data (GLobal Ocean Data Analysis Project), global surface ocean carbon data (Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas; SOCAT), and global interior and surface methane and nitrous oxide data (MarinE MethanE and NiTrous Oxide product). Aside from the actual data compilation, the pilot project produced suggestions for reporting metadata, implementing quality control measures, and making estimations about uncertainty. These recommendations aim at encouraging the community to adopt more consistent and uniform practices for analysis and reporting and at updating these practices regularly. The detailed recommendations, links to the original time-series programs, the original data, their documentation, and related efforts are available on the SPOTS website. This site also provides access to the data product (DOI: 10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.896862.1, Lange et al., 2023) and ancillary data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caribbean through‐flow accounts for two‐thirds of the Florida Current and consequently is an important conduit of heat and salt fluxes in the upper limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Considering there is evidence that up to one‐half of the Florida Current originates as South Atlantic Water (SAW), determining the distribution of SAW throughout the Caribbean Island passages is important as this constitutes the major pathway for cross‐equatorial AMOC return flow. The Anegada Passage (AP) is a major pathway for subtropical gyre inflow and suggested to be a potential SAW inflow pathway worth revisiting. Here, we present glider‐based observations of temperature, salinity and subsurface velocity that represent the first observations of any type in the AP in nearly 20 years. An isopycnal water mass analysis is conducted to quantify the transport of water masses with South Atlantic or North Atlantic origin. Two potentially new aspects of AP transport are revealed. The total AP transport (−4.8 Sv) is shown to be larger than previously estimated, potentially by up to a factor of two. The transport of SAW through the AP (−1.66 Sv) is also shown to be larger than previously estimated, which represents 35% of the total transport reported here and 28% of the SAW entering the Caribbean north of the Windward Island Passages. These results indicate the AP may be an important pathway for cross‐equatorial AMOC return flow. These results also provide evidence that gliders with acoustic doppler profilers are a viable method for measuring island passage transport. Plain Language Summary: The Caribbean Sea through‐flow is a major transport pathway for heat and salt in the upper limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The presence of water masses (bodies of water with distinct temperature and salinity properties) that originated in the South Atlantic (SAW) in the Northern Hemisphere is indicative of cross‐equatorial AMOC return flow. Ship‐based observations in the 1990's identified major pathways for this AMOC return flow but there is still a substantial amount of SAW that is taking an unknown, alternate route northward. This study presents the first observations in nearly 20 years of temperature, salinity, and subsurface velocity in the Anegada Passage (AP). Here, we perform a water mass analysis that suggests the total transport and SAW transport through the AP is larger than previously estimated. This result is significant as the AP may be an important pathway for AMOC return flow. This study also shows that autonomous underwater gliders are a viable method for measuring island passage transport. Key Points: Total transport and transport of South Atlantic Water through the Anegada Passage (AP) may be larger than previously estimatedThe AP is a pathway for both Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation return flow and subtropical gyre recirculationGliders are an effective component of the global ocean observing system, needed for measuring subsurface water mass structure and transport [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Change in ocean structure and circulation Following keynote presentations and discussions on sources and sinks of FW, we turned our attention to how this FW affects the ocean. Dynamical impacts on the ocean are similar in both hemispheres, but poorly understood; for example, how sea ice (and ice shelf) melt is modified by turbulent mixing, and how coastal currents determine the FW exchange with the open ocean. Keywords: Ocean; Arctic; Sea ice; Southern Ocean; Freshwater; Snowmelt/icemelt EN Ocean Arctic Sea ice Southern Ocean Freshwater Snowmelt/icemelt E970 E979 10 06/15/23 20230501 NES 230501 NORP-SORP Workshop on Polar Fresh Water: Sources, Pathways and Impacts of Freshwater in North... I B What b i : Up to 60 participants at a time and more than twice as many registrants in total from 20 nations and across experience levels met to discuss the current status of research on freshwater in both polar regions, future directions, and synergies between the Arctic and Southern Ocean research communities I B When b i : 19-21 September 2022 I B Where b i : Online After three days of comprehensive review presentations, productive discussions, and enthusiastic debate, the online Workshop on Polar Fresh Water: Sources, Pathways and Impacts of Freshwater in Northern and Southern Polar Oceans and Seas jointly organized by the Northern Oceans Region Panel (NORP) and the Southern Ocean Region Panel (SORP) of the Climate and Ocean Variability and Predictability and Change (CLIVAR), co-sponsored by Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), concluded successfully on 21 September 2022. This workshop brought together scientists with expertise in processes of the northern and southern high-latitude oceans to review the role and evolution of polar freshwater (FW) and compare and contrast the two polar oceans. [Extracted from the article]

CCAMLR can use its management mandate to protect krill-dependent predators, including baleen whales, from adverse interactions with the krill fishery (Meyer et al., [11]). Within this multispecies aggregation of krill predators there were also four commercial krill vessels actively harvesting krill (Figure 1B). Prior to krill fishing, whales and phytoplankton blooms were often spatially separated perhaps due to local top-down control of phytoplankton by krill grazing (Hardy, [6]). Industrial krill harvesting in direct competition with foraging fin whales is concerning because the regional abundance of fin whales and krill remains far below the prewhaling baseline. [Extracted from the article]

The Ocean Carbon and Acidification Data System (OCADS) is a data management system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). It manages a wide range of ocean carbon and acidification data, including chemical, physical, and biological observations collected from research vessels, ships of opportunity, and uncrewed platforms, as well as laboratory experiment results, and model outputs. Additionally, OCADS serves as a repository for related Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) biogeochemistry Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), e.g., oxygen, nutrients, transient tracers, and stable isotopes. OCADS endeavors to be one of the world's leading providers of ocean carbon and acidification data, information, products, and services. To provide the best data management services to the ocean carbon and acidification research community, OCADS prioritizes adopting a customer-centric approach and gathering knowledge and expertise from the research community to improve its data management practices. OCADS aims to make all ocean carbon and acidification data accessible via a single portal, and welcomes submissions from around the world: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/ocean-carbon-acidification-data-system/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of ProCare is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sustained observations of marine biodiversity and ecosystems focused on specific conservation and management problems are needed around the world to effectively mitigate or manage changes resulting from anthropogenic pressures. These observations, while complex and expensive, are required by the international scientific, governance and policy communities to provide baselines against which the effects of human pressures and climate change may be measured and reported, and resources allocated to implement solutions. To identify biological and ecological essential ocean variables (EOVs) for implementation within a global ocean observing system that is relevant for science, informs society, and technologically feasible, we used a driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) model. We (1) examined relevant international agreements to identify societal drivers and pressures on marine resources and ecosystems, (2) evaluated the temporal and spatial scales of variables measured by 100+ observing programs, and (3) analysed the impact and scalability of these variables and how they contribute to address societal and scientific issues. EOVs were related to the status of ecosystem components (phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass and diversity, and abundance and distribution of fish, marine turtles, birds and mammals), and to the extent and health of ecosystems (cover and composition of hard coral, seagrass, mangrove and macroalgal canopy). Benthic invertebrate abundance and distribution and microbe diversity and biomass were identified as emerging EOVs to be developed based on emerging requirements and new technologies. The temporal scale at which any shifts in biological systems will be detected will vary across the EOVs, the properties being monitored and the length of the existing time-series. Global implementation to deliver useful products will require collaboration of the scientific and policy sectors and a significant commitment to improve human and infrastructure capacity across the globe, including the development of new, more automated observing technologies, and encouraging the application of international standards and best practices.

The measurement of oceanic parameters, and the consequent monitoring of their evolution in space and time, represent the basis for environmental information services that support a wide range of societal and commercial applications. A promising oceanographic research field is devoted to the assessment of the conditions of the sea state by using data collected on-board during shipping, and developing proper wave spectrum resembling procedures. The wave spectrum procedure presented in their paper was applied in a real environment; a subsequent successful validation was carried out against a set of weather forecast data provided by the third-generation Global Wave Model (GWAM). [Extracted from the article]

She further observed that educational products were essential for improving youth ocean literacy and that senior ocean scientists should be encouraged to mentor early-career ocean scientists. An Associate Professor at the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science of Florida State University College of Arts and Sciences, Amy Baco-Taylor, examined the contributions of ocean observation to understanding and conserving the marine environment of the deep ocean through a case study on vulnerable marine ecosystems and significant adverse impacts, stressing the need to address knowledge gaps, adopt a precautionary approach and strengthen science uptake in ocean management. The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development was highlighted by some delegations as an opportunity to foster international collaboration and develop transformational ocean science in support of actions to reverse the decline in ocean health. The Programme Director at the Institute of Marine Research and Professor at the Geophysical Institute of the University of Bergen, Peter Haugan, in a pre-recorded presentation, discussed the critical role of ocean observation in providing a knowledge base for sustainable ocean-based economies and ocean-based climate solutions and presented the case of Norway in highlighting the importance of integrated ocean management and the contributions of ocean observations in this regard. [Extracted from the article]

Furthermore, as an important link in the ocean observation data value chain, it is critical to ensure that ocean observation data, analysis and products are translated into useful information and communicated adequately to decision makers and the general public, including through integrated assessments and the integration of ocean observational data and instruments into more educational and outreach activities. Ocean-related data and information are crucial to understanding ocean processes and ecosystem functioning and to making informed decisions about human activities in the light of the present and estimated future state of the ocean. The Digital Twin of the Ocean initiative of the European Commission will integrate existing and new data sources to create digital interactive high-resolution models of the oceans, allow continuous, timely monitoring of the ocean and advance ocean knowledge. Data on ocean-related biology, ecosystem and biogeochemistry components are particularly lacking, including on marine life and biodiversity, as are data on marine debris, the ocean's carbon storage capacity and the ocean's economic, social and cultural aspects. [Extracted from the article]

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) Annual Special Issue of the Marine Technology Society Journal highlights the global efforts of the Ocean Decade. The 2024 Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona, Spain, celebrated achievements and set priorities for the remainder of the Decade. The Barcelona Statement identified priority areas for action, including marine pollution, ecosystem restoration, sustainable food production, and climate-resilient ocean economy projects. The Vision 2030 process aims to generate a strategic ambition setting process for each of the 10 Challenges of the Ocean Decade. The issue also includes updates from the Early Career Ocean Professionals Programme and contributions on fisheries in the Philippines and observing air-sea interactions. The Marine Technology Society Journal offers this issue as an open-access resource to increase awareness of the Ocean Decade. [Extracted from the article]

As primary producers, phytoplankton play an integral role in global biogeochemical cycles through their production of oxygen and fixation of carbon. They also provide significant ecosystem services, by supporting secondary production and fisheries. Phytoplankton biomass and diversity have been identified by the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) as Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), properties that need to be monitored to better understand and predict the ocean system. Phytoplankton identification and enumeration relies on the skills and expertise of highly trained taxonomic analysts. The training of new taxonomic analysts is intensive and requires months to years of supervised training before an analyst is able to independently and consistently apply identification skills to a sample. During the COVID-19 pandemic, access to laboratories was greatly restricted and social distancing requirements prevented supervised training. However, access to phytoplankton imaging technologies such as the Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB), FlowCam, and PlanktoScope, combined with open online taxonomic identification platforms such as EcoTaxa, provided a means to continue monitoring, research, and training activities remotely when in-person activities were restricted. Although such technologies can not entirely replace microscopy, they have a great potential for supporting an expansion in taxonomic training, monitoring, surveillance, and research capacity. In this paper we highlight a set of imaging and collaboration tools and describe how they were leveraged during laboratory lockdowns to advance research and monitoring goals. Anecdotally, we found that the use of imaging tools accelerated the training of new taxonomic analysts in our phytoplankton analysis laboratory. Based on these experiences, we outline how these technologies can be used to increase capacity in taxonomic training and expertise, as well as how they can be used more broadly to expand research opportunities and capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present report, which covers the period from 1 September 2019 to 31 August 2020, is submitted pursuant to paragraph 364 of General Assembly resolution 74/19, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to prepare a report on developments and issues relating to ocean affairs and the law of the sea, including the implementation of that resolution, for consideration at its seventy-fifth session. While efforts continued at the national, regional and global levels to further advance sustainable ocean-based economies in all three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental), including through the development of innovative technologies, regulations and financial strategies, COVID-19 significantly affected progress, underscoring the importance of building resilience in sustainable ocean-based economies, in particular for least developed countries and small island developing States. Pollution, ocean warming and acidification continue to have adverse effects on the functioning of marine ecosystems and biodiversity, with corresponding impacts on low-lying coastal States, small island developing States and coastal cities and communities whose daily lives are linked to the oceans. The mainstreaming of issues related to the ocean and climate nexus into the relevant multilateral ocean and climate change processes was accelerated, highlighted by the focus on oceans at the twenty-fifth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. [Extracted from the article]